CHELSEA have been handed a major transfer blow after Jasko Gvardiol revealed his "dream club" in the Premier League.
And it is bad news for Tottenham and Manchester City, too.
The Croatian defender was already on the wishlists of plenty of English clubs thanks to his stellar rise at RB Leipzig.
However, his stock soared even higher thanks to his standout performances for Croatia at the World Cup.
Gvardiol, 20, was arguably the best defender at Qatar 2022.
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As a result, a number of top clubs are weighing up bids for the young centre-back.
Chelsea had a bid rejected in the summer but plan to go back in for Gvardiol at the end of the season - that is despite just spending £35million on Benoit Badiashile.
Tottenham are also interested while City boss Pep Guardiola is said to be keen to bring the ex-Dinamo Zagreb ace to the Etihad.
However, it is Jurgen Klopp who may be in pole position should he want to snap up the centre-half this summer before a reported £112m release clause kicks in.
That is because Gvardiol - born in 2002 - admitted he grew up supporting Liverpool.
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The 19-cap international told RTL Danas: "My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool.
"Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad.
"We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart."
Liverpool could be in the market for a new defender with Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and even Virgil van Dijk both struggling to find their top form.
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The Dutch giant is currently out for at least a month and faces a race to be fit to face Real Madrid in their Champions League showdown.